Bengaluru garbage contractors accuse BSWML of harassment, delay in payments
Warn of service disruption in city
Bengaluru: The Bangalore Mahanagara Swachahte Matthu Lorry Malikara Hagoo Guthigedarara Sangha, representing garbage contractors and lorry owners, has levelled serious allegations against senior officials of the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd. (BSWML), accusing them of harassment, non-payment of dues, and arbitrary deductions.
In a strongly worded letter to BSWML, the contractors warned that the continued delay in payments and unaddressed grievances could soon force them to stop work—potentially triggering a major garbage crisis in the city, as reported by The Hindu on Monday.
The union alleges that BSWML’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) were ignoring contractors and directly issuing instructions to Assistant and Deputy General Managers. The letter accuses the officials of acting out of “selfish motives and personal desires” rather than working in the interest of Bengaluru’s waste management system.
The association members mentioned that they had previously sent a letter on September 9, holding the two officials directly accountable for the escalating confusion. The letter highlighted that contractors’ monthly bills have remained unpaid since April, with arrears dating back to January still unsettled.
“Because of this, contractors have been forced to bear penalties and interest charges from the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) and Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) departments. Even when partial payments were released, unexplained deductions were being made from the bills, worsening the financial strain,” DH quoted one of the members of the BBMP Garbage Contractors Association as saying.
The cascading impact of delayed payments is affecting not only vehicle maintenance and fuel costs but also the timely payment of drivers and pourakarmikas. Many contractors, the union said, have been pushed into debt to keep services running.
The letter further highlighted the challenges faced by workers, who are expected to report for duty at 5:30 a.m. without access to public transport. Many are forced to walk long distances or spend on expensive autorickshaw rides due to lack of support from authorities.
S.N. Balasubramanian, President of the BBMP Garbage Contractors Association, said he had personally appealed to the COO for a joint meeting of officials and contractors, but no such meeting had been convened. “If the issues are not addressed and work is forced to stop in the coming days, the COO and CFO will be directly responsible,” The Hindu quoted him as saying.
Adding to their concerns, a circular from the Bengaluru City Traffic Police dated September 18 instructed that garbage lorries must not be parked on public roads, citing traffic disruptions and safety hazards. The directive mandates that all garbage vehicles be parked at BBMP depots or designated areas only, failing which enforcement action will be taken.
Contractors argue that this directive imposes an additional financial burden, as they now have to arrange secure parking for hundreds of vehicles across the city—at a time when they are already struggling to stay afloat.
The contractors has called for immediate intervention by BSWML, warning that a failure to resolve the issues will lead to protest and disruption of garbage collection services in the city.
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Ex-PM Devegowda warns opposition of electoral losses if they continue to allege 'vote chori'
New Delhi (PTI): Former Prime Minister H D Devegowda on Monday said the Opposition parties would "suffer" if they continue to raise allegations of "vote chori" and create suspicion in the minds of voters by blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
Participating in a discussion on election reforms in the Rajya Sabha, he criticised the Opposition for making a mockery about the Prime Minister "in the streets and on the public platform".
"This (India) is a very big country. A large country. Congress may be in three states. Remember my friends please, by using the words 'vote chori' you are going to suffer in the coming days. You are not going to win the battle," Devegowda said, referring to the Opposition members.
He asked what the Opposition is going to earn by "blaming Narendra Modi's leadership and creating a suspicion in the mind of the voters" through the claims of "vote chori".
"What has happened to their minds? Let them rectify," Devegowda said.
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The former prime minister said that during his over seven decades of public life, he has never raised such issues of vote theft despite facing defeat in elections.
He also cited a letter written by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru regarding inclusion of "18,000 votes" (voters) in Kerala.
"Why I am telling this (because) during the Nehru period also, there were certain lapses in the electoral system," said Devegowda, who was the prime minister between June 1, 1996 and April 21, 1997.
He said that the Congress party faced defeat in the recent Bihar elections despite raising the issues of mistakes in the electoral rolls.
"What happened after that even after so much review (of voters list). Think (for) yourself! You got six MLAs," the senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader said.
Devegowda questioned the Opposition as to why they want to make allegations against the prime minister on the issue of the voters list?
"Election Commission is there. Supreme Court is there. The Election Commission has given direction to all the state units to rectify all these things," he said.
Devegowda said people of the country have full confidence in Narendra Modi's government and it will come back to power after the next Lok Sabha elections as well.
K R Suresh Reddy, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party's Rajya Sabha member from Telangana, said that electoral reforms are the backbone for a healthy democracy.
He said a large and diverse nation like Indi needs clean electoral rolls.
Asserting that strict re-verification should not become a mechanism for exclusion, Reddy said no eligible voter should lose their right to vote simply because accessing paperwork is difficult.
He said while the concern definitely is on the voters' exclusion, "we should also be equally concerned about the percentage of voting."
"What is happening in voting today? Once the election ends, the drama begins. The biggest challenge that the Indian democracy has been facing in spite of two major Constitutional amendments has been the anti-defection. Anti-defection is the name of the game today, especially in smaller states, especially where the legislatures are small in number," Reddy said.
The senior BRS leader suggested creation of a parliamentary committee "which would constantly look into the defection" and "ways and means to cutting that".
AIADMK's M Thambidurai raised the issues related to election campaigning.
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"Election campaigns are one of the important election processes. In that, political parties must be given the proper chance to campaign," he said and cited problems faced by his party in Tamil Nadu in this regard.
Thambidurai said political parties were facing hardships in Tamil Nadu to conduct public meetings and to express their views to the public.
YSRCP's Yerram Venkata Subba Reddy stressed on bringing electoral reforms at both the state and national levels.
He also suggested replacing Electronic Voting Machines with paper ballots in all future elections.
"EVM may be efficient but can't be trusted. Paper ballot may not be efficient but can be trusted. You need trust in democracy," Reddy added.
